Watching the Steelers this season has been a combination of the Keystone Cops and the Poseidon Adventure. As dramatic as that sounds I’m not sure how else to put it. As if things couldn’t get any worse, and I hesitate on saying that, now we get word that rookie NT Alameda Ta’amu was involved in a police incident during the overnight hours and was charged with DUI, Resisting Arrest, Assault, and Escape among other issues.

Also according to WPXI - “Officers issued an alert for the SUV. One officer dressed in full uniform yelled, “Police! Stop the vehicle.” That officer then said the driver, later identified as Ta’amu, swerved toward him and nearly ran him over. Two other officers also spotted the car. They drew both of their guns as the Navigator came at them, but neither of them fired “due to the large number of pedestrians and motorists on the sidewalks and roadway.”
Police say Ta’amu took a sharp turn off of East Carson Street and onto South 14th Street. There, he allegedly hit four cars as police chased him. One woman in one of those cars was hurt. As of Sunday morning, she was listed in good condition at UPMC Mercy.” – WPXI

As Dejan points out, the Steelers are going to likely act quickly on this in their own investigation. If Ta’amu hasn’t already been in contact with the Rooney’s, Kevin Colbert, and Mike Tomlin by early this morning then I’d be shocked to say the least.

There will be more to this story in the coming days but in the mean time GM Kevin Colbert has released the following: We are disappointed to hear about the situation regarding Alameda Ta’amu. We will gather more facts before providing any further comment. – via Steelers.com

Based on how things are going so far this season though for the Steelers, Art Rooney II needs to have a heart to heart with this team at some point soon and rattle some cages for lack of a better term. First Rashard Mendenhall calls out the fans for their seeming lack of support for the team, then James Harrison goes off on Facebook, and now we have the rookie being arrested. Obviously the latter is the worse issue so far.

This is not the first time a player has been arrested in the NFL, and we’ve known more than a few Steelers who have had troubles with the law in recent history. Unless you’re name is Ben Roethlisberger, how many of them are still around? While we’d like to think our team is above this type of behavior, clearly though they are not. Nobody is perfect, I get that, but when you play for the Steelers you are held to a standard which doesn’t allow for much wiggle room especially when it comes to the law and the reputation of the team.

This latest incident shouldn’t draw you any closer to the bridge if you’re thinking of jumping, nor should it change how you feel about the team so far this year overall. They’ve done enough on the field as it is to realize there are problems. Besides, Ta’amu hasn’t even dressed for a game and was less than impressive in preseason. No matter what happens with him life will go on for us and the team but suffice it to say I’d rather be writing about issues on the field rather than off.

Ta;amu was drafted in the 4th round out of Washington this past April.